Putting Tailong in His Place

"Xu Yuan, go!" Xiao Wu squeezed to the very front of the crowd, waving her fists with all her might.

Zhu Zhuqing cheered for Xu Yuan, too. "Xu Yuan, you can do it!"

"Tailong! Beat him! Show this support-type Soul Master what you're made of!"

"Exactly! A support-type Soul Master dares to challenge a Battle Soul Master? He doesn't know his place!"

"Go, Tailong! Win, and I'll treat you to braised pork knuckle in the cafeteria!"

Shouts rose and fell all around them, almost all of them rooting for Tailong.

Quite a few boys watched Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing cheer for Xu Yuan, their eyes burning with jealousy.

Why did a support-type Soul Master get the favor of both goddesses?

Quite a few girls cheered Xu Yuan on, since they were quite fond of handsome guys like him.

The roar of the crowd sent Tailong's blood surging. He slapped his chest, and his Martial Soul, the Great Strength Ape, suddenly possessed him.

Brown-black fur sprouted from his skin, his muscles swelled in an instant, and his arms thickened like pillars.

"Roar!" Tailong let out a roar like an ape's.

A Yellow Soul Ring shone beneath his feet as he unleashed his second Soul Skill without holding back.

"Second Soul Skill: Explosive Giant Strength!"

Tailong's body suddenly grew larger. The veins bulged in his already massive arms, as if they held the power to rip steel apart.

He slammed his feet into the ground. The flagstones cracked with a series of fine lines, and he shot toward Xu Yuan like a cannonball.

His fist came with a sharp whistle, and the air groaned under the force crushing through it.

"Watch out!" Xiao Wu cried, her heart in her throat.

Zhu Zhuqing clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white, her eyes fixed on the fight.

Xu Yuan easily dodged Tailong's punch.

Blue Silver Emperor burst from the earth and instantly wrapped around Tailong's arms and waist.

The moment the vines touched Tailong's skin, tiny white flowers bloomed along them. Crystal dewdrops clung to their petals, and they gave off a soothing fragrance.

"Huh?" Tailong was about to urge his Soul Power to break free.

But then a strange tingling spread from where the vines bound him. His once-raging Soul Power calmed a little, and even his churning blood seemed to settle.

Even more alarming, his Soul Power seemed to be quietly siphoned away by the vines. Now, even snapping them looked difficult.

"What kind of Soul Skill is this?" Tailong asked in shock and confusion, lowering his head to look at the white-flowered vines.

At the instant Tailong's thoughts faltered under the fragrance of the little white flowers, Xu Yuan moved.

He shot forward like lightning. Taking advantage of the moment Blue Silver Emperor restrained Tailong, he once again used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and turned into a blur.

Tailong's vision flashed. Xu Yuan had appeared half a step in front of him.

He instinctively tried to raise his fists to block, only to find his arms bound tight by Blue Silver Emperor. His Soul Power flowed sluggishly, and his movements were more than half a beat too slow.

Xu Yuan's gaze sharpened. He clenched his right fist, and Soul Power quietly gathered over his knuckles.

His fist cut through the air with a steady force and struck Tailong squarely in the chest.

"Thud!"

The muffled impact echoed across the training ground. Tailong felt as if a sledgehammer had smashed into his chest. A tremendous force spread along his ribs, churning his blood and qi.

"Ugh—!"

Tailong cried out in pain as his massive body flew backward against his will.

He traced an arc through the air and slammed into the sandy ground five meters away, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Blue Silver Emperor withdrew at once. Xu Yuan stood where he was, a faint tingling still lingering in his fist from the blow.

He looked at Tailong struggling in the sand but didn't press his advantage. He simply stood still.

The surroundings fell completely silent.

Those who had been cheering Tailong moments ago stood with their mouths agape, disbelief written all over their faces.

Tailong scrambled to his feet and charged at Xu Yuan.

"First Soul Skill: Rock Solid Defense!"

The yellow light of Tailong's First Soul Ring flared. A layer of earthy-yellow radiance instantly covered his whole body, and his skin seemed to turn into hard rock. Even the dull ache from Xu Yuan's punch eased a little.

He roared as he charged at Xu Yuan, arms held in front of him. He meant to use his rocky defense to smash Xu Yuan away.

"Still coming?" Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow. His steps shifted, and he used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track again.

He slipped around Tailong like a ghost. With a small movement of his fingers, several Blue Silver Emperor vines burst from the earth once more.

This time, the vines didn't wrap around Tailong. Instead, they lashed toward the backs of his knees like flexible whips, whistling through the air.

Xu Yuan knew full well that Rock Solid Defense strengthened Tailong's defense, but made his joints sluggish.

That was the flaw in this Soul Skill.

"Crack! Crack!"

Two sharp snaps rang out as Blue Silver Emperor struck Tailong squarely behind the knees.

Tailong felt his legs go numb. His seemingly unstoppable charge lost its balance, and his massive body stumbled forward, nearly pitching headfirst into the sand.

Xu Yuan activated Blue Silver Domain, transforming the Blue Silver Grass around him into Blue Silver Emperor and controlling the vines to bind Tailong.

Tailong had only just managed to steady himself after losing his balance when he felt countless vines winding around his feet.

He looked down and saw Blue Silver Emperor surging toward him from every direction, like a rising tide, wrapping around his ankles, calves, waist...

This time there were far more vines than before, filling nearly every gap around him.

"No!" Tailong roared as he poured all his strength into Rock Solid Defense.

The earthy-yellow radiance flared, and he tried to snap the vines with his rock-hard body.

But Blue Silver Emperor, transformed by the domain, was several times tougher than before. The vines didn't break. Instead, they tightened, their barbs sinking deep into his rock-hard skin and sending stabs of pain through him.

"How can this be..." Tailong's eyes filled with despair.

He couldn't understand how a support-type Soul Master could be so powerful.

Xu Yuan pressed his advantage and gave Tailong no chance. He took a deep breath and drove his fist into Tailong's stomach.

His fist, packed with Soul Power to the utmost, struck the part of Tailong's abdomen most tightly bound by Blue Silver Emperor.

Rock Solid Defense covered that spot, but the vines' pull had opened a tiny gap in its defense.

"Thud!"

This punch landed harder than the last, like a blow against a taut drumhead, and rang out with a deep, muffled boom.

Tailong felt a stabbing pain burst through his abdomen. The earthy-yellow defensive radiance instantly dimmed, as though the punch had shattered its very foundation.

Blue Silver Emperor tightened around him, its barbs sinking deep into his skin and making his vision go black with pain.

"Ugh..." Tailong let out a muffled groan. He couldn't hold on any longer.

His massive body dropped to its knees with a thump, his kneecaps striking the sand and spraying dust across his face.

The glow of Rock Solid Defense vanished completely. His brown-black fur receded, revealing his usual appearance. But now his face was deathly pale, his lips trembling, and he didn't even have the strength to stand.

Blue Silver Emperor slowly withdrew. Xu Yuan stood before Tailong.

"You lost."